VZCZCXRO8482
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHAM #1049/01 1011141
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101141Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2206
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 AMMAN 001049 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR PRM, NEA/ELA, NEA/I, AND EEB 
STATE PASS USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PREF PREL PGOV JO IZ
SUBJECT: Few Iraqis in Jordan Working; Many Running Out of Funds 
 
REFS: A) Amman 927 
      B) Amman 639 
  C) Amman 563 
  D) Amman 486 
       E) 07 Amman 4575 
      F) 07 Amman 3752 
 
Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly.  Not for 
internet distribution or use outside the USG. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: Iraqis in Jordan have long relied on personal 
savings and remittances from families in Iraq or abroad to make ends 
meet, but rising inflation, the end of subsidies, and uncertainty 
about the length of their tenure in Jordan have contributed to a 
steady deterioration of their financial conditions.  This downturn 
has amplified Government of Jordan concerns about the continued 
presence of Iraqi refugees and their increasing reliance on 
government-subsidized services in health and education.  While some 
Iraqi doctors, medical professionals, engineers, and others are 
employed, most are jobless.  Despite difficult living conditions in 
Jordan, Iraqis are not returning home in large numbers, in part due 
to historic GOJ policies that demanded "over-stay fees" upon 
departure and imposed permanent bans on reentry.  The GOJ recently 
waived fees for Iraqis departing Jordan, but thus far very few 
Iraqis are taking advantage of the fee waiver, and UN and NGO 
observers believe that few will do so.  END SUMMARY. 
 
Life in Jordan Becoming More Difficult for Iraqis 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Only 22 percent of Iraqi adults of working age in Jordan 
hold jobs, according to a survey by the Norwegian not-for-profit 
organization Fafo.  The report, released in December 2007, further 
noted that the majority of Iraqis were living on savings or 
remittances from Iraq or abroad, "making them particularly 
economically vulnerable."  Iraqi Ambassador to Jordan Saad al-Hiyani 
told EconOffs in mid-March that the savings of many of the 
lower-income Iraqis in Jordan were beginning to run out.  Several 
prominent Iraqis from the Hashimi al-Shamali region in Eastern Amman 
(identified by the Iraqi Embassy in Amman as the area of the largest 
Iraqi population in Jordan) reported in January that most of the 
residents were not employed, and were dependent upon support sent by 
relatives living abroad.  These individuals asserted that in 
general, Iraqis are not seeking employment due to fears of being 
identified by the GOJ and then being at risk for deportation. 
Despite the persistent fear of deportation, according to UNHCR, 
ICRC, and the GOJ, very few Iraqis have been deported and UNHCR High 
Commissioner Gutteres praised the GOJ's commitment to non-refoulment 
during his February visit (Ref D). 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Assistant Secretary General of the Ministry of Social 
Development told EconOffs in February that 10-15 Iraqi children were 
arrested each month for begging or working illegal odd jobs, and 
local leaders in the Hashimi al-Shamali region have reported cases 
of prostitution, something uncommon in Amman.  Additionally, 
officials from the Central Bank of Jordan told EconOffs they have 
seen evidence of a decline in savings at Jordanian banks by Iraqi 
individuals.  NOTE:  An applicant's nationality must be reported 
when first opening an account.  END NOTE.  Representatives from many 
NGOs which work with Iraqis -- including Save the Children, CARE, 
ICMC, and Mercy Corps -- similarly report that Iraqi families they 
work with are running out of savings, with many dependent on their 
children's employment for income. 
 
Education Has Limited Impact on Livelihood 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The Fafo study indicated that Iraqis in Jordan are 
generally well educated, but education makes little difference 
because of employment restrictions, causing many highly educated 
Iraqis to remain unemployable. Officials at the Jordanian Ministry 
of Higher Education told EconOffs the ministry has been becoming 
increasingly "less tolerant" toward accrediting degrees issued in 
Iraq after discovering a number of fake degrees, even for critical 
professions such as medicine.  Therefore, the Ministry, beginning in 
2005, placed a ban on certifying Iraqi degrees, sometimes even 
retroactively applying it to degrees previously approved.  Iraqis 
have been successful, however, in finding employment in 
undersubscribed fields.  MHE reported in 2007 that 718 Iraqis were 
working as college professors at Jordanian universities.  The 
majority of these Iraqi professors hold degrees from major U.S. and 
European universities and teach in fields suffering from professor 
shortages such as computer science, information technology, and 
mathematics.  Some Iraqi academics have found employment through the 
Scholar Rescue Fund run by the Institute for International Education 
(IIE).  As of March 28, the SRF had placed 9 Iraqi scholars at 
Jordanian universities, and confirmed 9 others for future placement, 
while 7 additional applications are under examination; a total of 89 
Iraqis have been approved by the SRF selection committee for 
 
AMMAN 00001049  002 OF 003 
 
 
worldwide placement. 
 
Iraqis in the Work Force 
------------------------ 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Officials of the Jordanian Medical Association (JMA) 
recently told EconOffs that Iraqi doctors should be able to practice 
freely in Jordan because of an MOU signed in the 1980s with Iraq 
that requires only legal residency and a sponsoring medical 
facility.  They added that work permits are more often approved for 
Iraqis seeking medical careers than in other fields because there is 
demand for qualified professionals to fill critical vacancies.  This 
is also true for some medical specialists, such as nurses, 
radiologists, and laboratory technicians, who are all subject to 
similar licensing procedures.  Ministry of Health officials told 
EconOffs that out of 1,266 Iraqi doctors listed as licensed by the 
JMA, only an estimated 400 are actually practicing in Jordan. 
COMMENT:  This discrepancy is likely due to difficulty in obtaining 
valid residency permits; officials from the Department of Residency 
and Borders in the Ministry of Interior informed EconOffs in January 
that issuance of permanent residency permits requires large cash 
investments or real estate ownership, as well as current, legal 
residency.  END COMMENT. 
 
Restrictions on Employment of Iraqis 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Working legally in Jordan can be difficult because the GOJ 
requires Iraqis seeking work permits to have a valid residency 
certificate.  Out of a population estimated at 480,000-500,000 in 
the Fafo report, only 30 percent of all adults -- 50 percent of the 
male and 15 percent of the female population -- were actually 
employed.  NOTE:  The Fafo study indicated that 70 percent of the 
Iraqis residing in Jordan were of working age, i.e., age 15 and 
older.  END NOTE.  A 2007 Ministry of Labor (MOL) report, however, 
showed that only 1,645 Iraqis held legal, current work permits. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) In a catch-22, Iraqis, like several other nationalities 
residing in Jordan, often must first have employment to obtain 
residency.  MOL Assistant Secretary General Saleh Khreis explained 
that a residency permit did not automatically grant permission to 
work, that foreign nationals must already be legal residents in 
order to obtain work permits, and that both residency and work 
permits need to be re-verified and renewed annually.  As a result, 
many Iraqis simply work illegally.  Khreis said MOL always held a 
forgiving attitude toward violations, but recently had been forced 
to adopt a much stricter enforcement policy because of several 
recent "serious" problems, such as Iraqis in medical positions with 
outdated work permits.  Khreis reported that most Iraqis worked odd 
jobs such as peddling cheap items and food on the streets, which, he 
claimed, posed additional risks to public health, food safety, and 
consumer rights. 
 
Growing Concerns about Impact of Cash-Strapped Iraqis 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) The deteriorating financial condition of the Iraqi 
community in Jordan has amplified GOJ concerns about the continued 
presence of Iraqi refugees.  UNHCR Representative in Jordan Imran 
Riza reported that Jordanian officials had expressed concerns to him 
regarding the growing Iraqi dependence on international aid, fearing 
"it gives them a reason to remain in Jordan."  Feda Ghribeh, Head of 
the Iraqi Coordination Unit at the Ministry of Planning and 
International Cooperation, also mentioned GOJ fears that cashless 
Iraqis would depend more and more on government-subsidized services, 
particularly education and healthcare, further burdening the system. 
 Ghribeh added that Jordanian security agencies are also concerned 
about the potential for increased crime rates as the financial 
conditions of the Iraqis worsen. 
 
Despite Hardships, Most Do Not Seem Eager to Leave 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) The GOJ expects (and hopes) the majority of Iraqis will 
eventually return home or depart for a third country.  To facilitate 
this, the GOJ announced in January 2008 a waiver of portions of the 
penalties assessed on those who over-stay (refs C and D). 
Nonetheless, despite their hardships, diminishing savings, and 
inability to work, Iraqis are not leaving in any great numbers. 
According to the Iraqi Embassy in Amman, UNHCR and other NGOs, as 
well as members of MNF-I Civil Affairs Liaison Team (CALT) assigned 
to Embassy Amman who have regular access to both sides of the 
border, there are several reasons for this lack of exodus, including 
on-going concerns regarding the security situation in Iraq, a lack 
of confidence in the Iraqi Government, uncertainty regarding the new 
Jordanian visa system, as well as hope for eventual third country 
resettlement (which they are more likely to obtain while in Jordan 
than while in Iraq).  Because of these reasons, most Iraqis in 
Jordan seem determined to remain -- at least for the time being -- 
 
AMMAN 00001049  003 OF 003 
 
 
right where they are. 
 
Visit Amman's Classified Website at: 
http://www.state.gov.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman/ 
 
HALE